Improvement in umbrellas



l JAnEs'wILLI" .l f letters Patent No. 112,307, dated February 28,118.71.

IMPROVEMENT In uMBRELLAs.

i `The Schedule referred to lx1-these Lettera Patent a'nd making part of the same.

To Inkom, 'itniay concern r Beit known that LJAMES WILLIS, of Stocksbridge Works, near `Sheflield, in the countv of York, Englaud,`a` subjectof the Queen of Great Britain, have invented ci' discovered new and useful Improvements iu the Manufacture of "Suushades and Umbrellas, and,` I, the saidJAMES WILLS, dohereby declare the nature of said invention, and in Ywhat manner the same is to befperformed, to be particularly described ,l and ascertained" in and by the following` statement Hthereof, that is tosayf- 'lliisiuvento'u has, rst, forits bject an improved inode'ofconsti'ucting umbrellas with agutter running Aeither `entirely or partiallyaround the covering,` and relatesto an improved mode of opening and holdingY open thegutter when thegumbrella opened.

For this purposeI aiiiic'to or form onthe 'ribs a strip of` metal, `of any suitable section, leading backl ward along the rib, and connected at its endltp the fabric of which the guttel`` is composed.

n By this means, wheuthe umbrella is set up and the ribs have consequentlyaldownwai'd curve given to themat their tip ends,` the strip of metal will tend to stand ,out away from therib, and so hold open the gutter, while, when theulnbrella is'closed, the sp1-in gs or strips of lnetalomay'lie closeV to the ribs; and-in order, also, that the tip ends of the ribsinaylie close l up to the stick lwhen the umbrella is closed, I prefer to` construct the ribs withl ajpermanent inward b end 'neartheir tip ends: CIalso strengthen the' runners of umbrellas and sunshades *around the sides, or a portion of the sides of l theirhlongitudinal slot, ias hereinafter niorefully` described.

Figure `1 shows a side view of an umbrella fitted with a gutter iu the `manner above-described.

l The gutter isshowntopass round one-half ofthe circumference of the umbrella, and to be'fhigherin i the center than atyits" two 4ends,-w'here any rain collecting in the glitter isrun oli'. This, however, may

, bevaried, and theguttei, if n desired, may be made to ypassall'around the circumference, of theumbrella at "a uniform level,` `and anyraiu collecting in `tliegutter `may be emptied' therefroml by slightly incliuing the umbrella. y V l A l ,Ilie gutter I prefetto `form `of a narrow ribbon,`say

about three-quarters of ran `inch or. oue"in`ch'wide.`

` One edgeof this ribbonljdouhle `over and `attach by stitching and cement `t0 l; the i fabric whichforms the coverhlg ofthe urnhrella," ando in orderV to lopen and,y holdfopeu vtheigutterlwhenithe umbrellais open lIv `attach to the ribs,.as "above stated, stripsofI metal `nun-ined a, by preierenceleading backward alone` the e ribs, and connectedat their ends to the 4strip of fabric l and the gutter are shown by dotted lines.

the other end being By this means, when a curvature is given to the ribs bythe openingof the umbrella, the ends of the strips of metalva standout away from the ribs and hold the gutter'open. v v

Various 4ways of so attaching strips of metal to the ribs of au umbrellafor the purposeof holding open a gutter when the umbrella is opened may be adopted. The manner in which I prefer ribs is shown separately at figs/2 and 3. 'The end portion only of the rib is shown int-bese gures.

At Figure 2 the rib is sho'wn bent tui-'the 'form it would assume when the umbrella, of which it forms a part, is opened, so asto show the end of the strip gutter open.

At Figure 3 the rib is shown as it appears `when o vthe umbrella is closed. f n

The fabric forming the covering of the umbrella n v In, the arrangement shown the end of the rib has adixed to it a strip of sheet metal, 11,/one end of such strip being` bent around and closed over Vonto the end of the rib,

fitted with a tip to correspond y n Another strip having a bent shoulder is then bent round and` closed with the other tips of the umbrella.

on near the point.4

Strips of metal'a, to lead backward along the rib of an umbrella, might similarly be li-xed to the rib at, any desired distance from its tip end, and I prefer that-` the stripsa should be covered over with fabricfsimi-` lar to that composing 'the' covering of the.urnbrellay` A .but theymight be lett uncovered, it' desired.

I have iu the drawing shown thel strips a applied ,e 1" however, be appliedtto Y ribs known as the paragon `ribs, or to ribs of' `other to solid ribs. They might,

section.

vAt Figure 4 is shown `a llongitudinal section mia portion ofthe frame of au umbrella -or suushade,isu`ch` as shown at iigll. One of the ribs has strips b and L a attached toits tip end, while the rib on the o`ppc`l l site side is aV plain rib. l The tipends yof all the ribs are set inward, as shown by the drawing, soA as.,1:`

cause theirltips to lie close-up to the stick of theumbrella, and also to cause the shoulders of the strips a] to proiect less Vwhen the umbrella or suushade is liollfed r l up than they would without such beud.`

.The runner c ofthe umbrella r .suusha'da'shiiwn s f; 4at lig. 4, is also strengthened around theerlges ofthe V vlongitudinal slot c4, which is formed in it.` L,

l ordinarily constructed the luetal `of the tubeofv the runner is often torn by the side of; ,l n the slotin `the runner being fbrcedagainst the spring 1` catch at thetime when the umbrella is beiugrollcd With runners as anni @da to alix them to the IThe end ofthe slot is also frequently torn by reason oi' its striking against the spring catch, by which the ruimer is secured.

According' to my invention I strengthen the sides of the slot which are thus liable to be torn open, by soldering or iixing to them a strengthening piece of niet-al.

The manner in which I prefer to strengthen the edges of the slot is by fixing around them a bent strip of steel wire. This I effect as shown at Figures 5, 6, 7,8, and 9.

A`runner which hasno slot cut in it is irst brought by means of suitable dies, to the form shown at figs. 5. r)Ehe upper part of the bulge ce is then with one or two strokes of a ile slightly .reduced in thickness, and a slit is madea'l'on g it by the point of a knife the runner is thus brought to the. shape shown at iig. 6. Afterward the slit is opened out by a flat chisel or A bent strip of steel-wire, such as shown at Figure 7 x, previously hardened and tempered, is then placed around the slot, and the pieces of metal a a standing up along the longer sides of the slot are, by alight hammer, turned over roughly to overlap the wire, as show n at figs. 8. Afterward the pieces of metal a are closed neatly over the wire, as shown at gs. 9, by bringing a die to bear uponrtheni while the runner is supported upon. a mandrel.

Other methods of strengthening runners along the side or along a portion of the side of their longitudinal slot, by fixing a soldering to ita strengthening piece of metal may -be adopted; as for example Figures 10 and 11 show how the side of the slot a in the runner of an umbrella may be strengthened by additional pieces of inet-al b b soldered to it.

Figures 12, 13, and 14 show how both the sides and end of the slot may be thus strengthened.

Figure 15 shows how the side of the slot may be strengthened by turning back the metal which has to be removed to the side of the slot; `I prefer that in this case the beading c should be made to overlap the end of the strip of metal l) which is so turned back. f

Figure 16 shows vhow the slot may be strengthened around all its sides by applying additional metal,

marked b l), to it.

A short tube, of metal, b, is first formed with a fla-nge all around one of its ends, as shown at iig. 15". The tube is then passed through the slot and is turned or riveted over to cause it toembrace the sides of the slot. like instrument, to bring it to the shape shown at I claim- 1.- lhe constructing au umbrella with a gutter,4

which is opened, and held open, (at the time when the umbrella is opened,) by means of strips of metal or springs, connected at one end to the ribs, and at the other end t the fabric forming the gutter, as herein described.

2. The umbrella runner, constructed with the sides of its slot strengthened by doubling the metal, substantially as before set forth. y

' JAMES WILLIS.

Witnesses:

G.F.WARREN, Both ofNo. 17 Gracechurch TROS. LAKE, street, London.

JOHN HARRISON, Notary Public, London. 

